Dust cover for drawers



Aug. 14, 1951 w. .1. s. rrrscHER DUST COVER FOR DRAWERS Filed March 5, 1948 Patented Aug. 14, 1951 UNITED vSTATES PATENT OFFICE DUST COVER FOR DRAWERS William J. S. Ritscher, Evanston, Ill.

Application March 5, 1948, Serial No. 13,126

Claims. 1 My invention relates to dust covers for drawers and more particularly to an arrangement of this character which does not require any modification of the drawer to fulfill its primary purpose. Where it is desired to protect the contents of a drawer from dust and dirt, the usual solutions are either the haphazard one of overlaying the contents with a sheet of paper or cloth, or more expensively, providing a specially designed drawer with a sliding and intertting cover or its equivalent. The former arrangement is objectionable because it does not positively prevent the ini-lltration of dust around the ledges of the sheet, while the latter materially adds to the cost of the associated piece of furniture.

It is therefore one object of my invention to provide a dust cover which may be quickly and easily inserted in a drawer, which may be made of inexpensive materials, does not require any change in the drawer proper', and provides a positive seal with the side walls of the drawer.

A further object is to provide a cover having the foregoing characteristics which may be made in one piece, or with hinged sections, depending upon the size of the drawer, and which, for any given size of cover, may be provided with adjustable sealing edges for enabling the cover to be used with different size drawers within the limits of the adjustment.

These and further objects of the invention will be set forth in the following specication, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, and the novel means by which said objects are effectuated will be definitely pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a partially filled drawer showing the application of one form of my improved cover thereto.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the cover shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section along the line 3--3 in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a plan view of a modied form of the cover in which the sealing edges thereof are adjustable.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged section along the line 5 5 in Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a section along the line 6-6 in Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary, plan view of a further modification showing an alternative method of adjusting the sealing edges.

Fig. 8 is a section along the line 8 8 in Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary section showing a further arrangement for holding the sealing strip.

Referring to Figs. l, 2 and 3, the numeral I0 designates a typical, rectangular drawer which is partially filled with articles II that are overlaid by my improved dust cover I2, more particularly illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3. In the form (Cl. S12-270) shown, the cover I2 comprises juxtaposed sections I3 and I4 which are indicated as lying in the same plane when in covering position and are hingedly connected along their abutting edges by a flexible, dust impervious strip I5 which is bonded or otherwise secured to both sections along the hinging line. The hinged type of cover is preferred for larger drawers to facilitate handling, but for smaller drawers, the sections I3 and I4 would be replaced by a single section as in the form of the cover .shown in Fig. 4. In either case, the sections are composed of a dust impervious material, either rigid, exible or semiflexible, such as heavy paper board, a selected plastic having a suitable gauge, or a treated fabric, and the outer dimensions of the two section unit, designated as member I6, or the dimensions of the single section unit, as the case may be, are slightly less than the interior length and width dimensions of the drawer I0.

A continuous, sealing strip I'I is secured in any appropriate manner, as by cementing, stitching, stapling or riveting, to the marginal portion of the member I6 so that the strip overlaps the edges of the member. The extent of this overlap is such that the outer edges of the strip II t snugly and flexibly against the inner surfaces of the vertical walls of the drawer III and hence the cover I2 positively prevents the ingress -of dirt and dust into the drawer below the cover and so protects the contents of the drawer. The strip I'I may be composed of any material that is characterized by sealing and preferably resilient properties so that when inserted in a drawer, it will give slightly and maintain the sealing contact for an indefinite period. A selected felt or rubber may be used for the strip I'I which may be shaped with any cross section. For the purpose of lifting the cover from the drawer, a handle |'8 is mounted on the section I3. The thickness of the cover is small in relation to its other dimensions so that it does not lessenthe capacity of the drawerI to any substantial eX- tent. f

In Figs. 4, 5 and 6 is illustrated a modicationof the dust cover which primarily differs from that described above in that provision is made for adjusting the sealing edges of the cover in order to accommodate the cover to fit drawers of varying sizes within reasonable limits. This modification, indicated by the numeral I9, comprises a rectangular, one-piece member 20 which is made from the same material as the sections I3 and I4 and in size is slightly smaller than the smallest drawer with which the cover is to be used.

A holder strip 2I is secured to one face of the member 23 at a convenient distance inwardly from the edge of and extending completely around the member. The outer edge of the strip 2| is preferably coterminous with the outer edge of the member and the attachment 22 of the strip to the member is located along the inner edge of the former. Due to this construction, the strip 2| may be partially separated from the member 20 and slidable between the member and holder strip is a sealing strip 23 which is similar to the sealing strip I1 except that it is cut and overlapped in a plurality of locations generally indicated by the numeral 24-in Figs. 4 and 5. Hence, the sealing sections thus formed may be selectively moved outwardly and inwardly to enable the dust cover to t diierent size drawers, the inner edges of the sections always being included between the member 20 and holder strip 2|. The overlaps 24 are illustrated as being midway of the edgesof" the cover, but it will be obvious thatthese overlaps may be located anywhere along the cover edges, including the corners of `the cover, In all adjusted positions of the sealing sections, the cover provides dust tight contact with the sides of the drawer. It will be understood that for larger drawers, the one-piece member 20 may be replaced by an articulated member similar to the member I6 while retaining adjustability of the sealing sections.

In Figs. 7 and 8 is illustrated a further modication of the cover which includes a dierent method of adjustably mounting the sealing strip. As with the other forms of the invention, this modification includes a principal and dust impervious, sheet member 25 which may be in one piece as in Fig. 4, or articulated as in Fig. 2. A sealing strip 26 extends marginally around the member 2,5 in the same relation thereto as in.

the other forms of the cover and is adjustably secured to the member by means of a plurality of pin connectors 27, only two of which are illustrated'. and each of which extendsv through an elongated' slot 28 in the member. The sealing strip 26 may be cut and overlapped in any of the locations described in connection with Fig. 4 toA provide adjustable sections thereof and is specically indicated as being so treated at the corners of the member 25, as designated` by the numeral 29.

It willbe understood that the covers may have shapes other than rectangular and that their configurations are always related to the drawers with which used. Further, in the case of the articulated cover, the hinge connection may be located otherwise than as shown in Fig. 2.

In- Fig" 9 is illustrated a further modification in which the sealing strip 30 is mounted between thewings of a U-section holder 3|. A. n 32 extends from the holder in a direction oppositev to the wings'and is secured in any desired manner to an edge of the principal sheet member 33, therev being a holder for each edgeof the member. For economy in manufacture, it is contemplated thatthe holder 3| may be formed as an extruded plastic. In the case ofA a rectangular cover, there would be four holders 3|, one for each edge of the principal sheet member of 4the cover and coextensive with such edge and the corner: spaces would be occupied by the sealing strip. Where the adjustable feature is incorporated in this form of the cover, the sealing strip i's preferably cut and overlapped at the corners as in Fig. 7. In the articulated form ofthe cover, the holders would be separated along the hinge line. The invention also includes a casting of the holder shown. in Fig. 9 as a unitary frameto fit, any selected principal. sheet member..

I claim:

1. A. dust cover for overlaying and protecting the contents of a drawer comprising a dust impervious, sheet-like member shaped to loosely t within the drawer, and marginal substantially coplanar sealing means carried by and extending beyond the edges of the member for sealing contact with the side walls of the drawer, the means including a plurality of adjustable sections each having a straight edge whereby the cover is conditioned to t various size drawers.

2. A dust cover for overlaying and protecting the contentsv of a drawer comprising a dust im'- pervious, sheet-like member shaped to loosely iit within the drawer, a holder strip secured to the margin of the member, and marginal sealing means positioned between the member and strip andu extending beyond the edges of the member for sealing contact with the side walls ofV the drawer, the means including a plurality of slidable sections whereby the cover is adjusted to.v fit various size drawers.

3..A dust cover for overlaying and protecting` the contents of a drawer comprising a dust impervious, sheet-like member shaped to loosely fitv within the drawer, and marginal sealing means carried by and extending beyond the edges of the member for sealing contact with theside walls of the drawer, the means including a plurality of sections adjustably related to the member by a.y

pin and slot connection whereby the cover is conditioned to iit various size drawers.

4. A dust cover for'overlaying and protecting the contents of a drawer comprising` a dustfimpervious, sheet-like member shaped to loosely lit within the drawer, and marginal sealing means carried by and extending beyond the edges, of

thev member for sealing contact with the side walls of the drawenthe means including a plurality of adjustable sections whereby the, cover is conditioned to t various size drawers and the lends of adjacent sections being overlapped to maintain the seal in any adjusted position.

5. A dust-cover for overlaying and protecting they contents of a four-sided drawer in whichv l adjacent sides are normally related comprising a dust impervious,v sheet-like member shaped to conform to and to loosely fit within the drawer, and; marginal sealing means carried by and extending beyond the edges of the member for sealing contact with the side walls of the drawer,

WILLIAM J. S. RITSCHER.

REFERENCES CITED Thefollowing references are ofV record in the leA of this patent:-

UNITED STATES PATENTS' 

